Weather hampers rescue efforts
Heavy rain and strong winds have been frustrating search and rescue efforts after a massive earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 1000 people and injuring more than 1600.
A sudden downpour had washed away roads leading to some of the hardest-hit areas in Paktika province, according to doctors at the main hospital in the capital, Sharana. Ambulances were stuck in a district where hundreds of homes had been flattened.
The storms had also grounded rescue helicopters. It was not immediately clear if heavy rescue equipment was being sent, or if it could even reach the area.
The toll from the 5.9 magnitude quake makes it the deadliest Afghanistan has seen in decades. It is also the first major national disaster since the Taliban swept to power last year.
Amir Hakim Tanai, a Kabulbased official with the International Red Cross, said workers were on their way to assist with rescue efforts. The United Nations Refugee Agency and Unicef said they had deployed staff to the most affected areas in Paktika and Khost provinces. They said the Taliban had not formally requested that the UN mobilise search and rescue teams, but it was giving them full access to the affected area.
‘‘We don’t yet know the full extent of the devastation, but we believe hundreds of people have been killed, including many women and children,’’ said Mohamed Ayoya, Unicef’s representative in Afghanistan. ‘‘These numbers are expected to grow as reports continue to come in.’’
In a rare move, the Taliban’s supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzadah, who almost never appears in public, pleaded with the international community and humanitarian organisations ‘‘to help the Afghan people affected by this great tragedy and to spare no effort’’.